Top Turkish diplomat attends swearing-in ceremony of Brazil’s president

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu attended the swearing-in ceremony on Sunday of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who returned to power as Brazil’s president for a third term.

"Attended oath taking ceremony of @LulaOfficial, President of #Brazil. Conveyed President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan’s message of congratulations," Cavusoglu said on Twitter, posting a photo of him congratulating Lula.

Nineteen foreign leaders also attended the ceremony held in the capital Brasilia.

On Oct. 30 last year, Lula beat incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro in a tight race, garnering 50.9% of the vote compared with Bolsonaro’s 49.1%, according to Brazil's Supreme Electoral Court.

Lula had been a candidate during the 2018 presidential election until graft and money laundering convictions curtailed his political aspirations. He was sent to prison and Bolsonaro won the presidency.

In 2019, Lula was released from prison after his convictions were overturned by the Supreme Court, allowing him to run again for office.

He was an influential figure during the "pink tide" era -- a period when many Latin American countries turned to the left.

The former union leader's rise to the presidency comes as Latin America has witnessed a new wave of regional leftist leaders from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Mexico and Peru.